Visit Us!

Winter Hours:

2019 Catalog

Muhly

Named in honor of G. H. E. Muhlenberg, a botanist who specialized in grasses, this large, varied genus includes some of the most visually stunning and enduring ornamental grasses for today’s landscape. Primarily native to arid range areas of the southern U.S. and Mexico, many Muhlenbergias boast not only arresting inflorescences and foliage, but an exceptional tolerance to heat, sun and drought, plus limited amounts of dappled shade each day, as long as the soil has sharp drainage.

Holding their attraction for months, ethereal masses of airy flower panicles are imbued in vivid pinkish red tones, which age to a light buff. This plush mist hovers atop a fine textured, semievergreen clump of polished dark green foliage. With an unmatched vivacity, particularly when planted in drifts, the Pink Muhly will easily bridge the gap from a cultivated garden space into the native habitat.

In an illuminated departure from the native species, the delicately branched nearly transparent panicles spawn a white wispy mass along the upper reaches of sleek, dark green blades. With cloud-like inflorescences that brighten the garden well after the first frosts, this tidy clumping Muhly is both splendid and stalwart and can be effectively utilized as a specimen..

Noted for its extraordinary fine texture and striking resemblance to bamboo, this warm season grass conveys a lighthearted grace. Delicately branched, upright and arching supple stems and thin light green leaves define the billowy mass that forms a noninvasive clump, preferring occasional water while enduring deer, heat and drought.

Stirring in just about any breeze, the evergreen Bamboo Muhly hails from Arizona and southern Mexico, produces insignificant pale pink flowers and is destined to become an airy counterpoint to Yucca ‘Garland’s Gold’s bold blades or where winter’s are cold, an ethereal container subject.

Though the species is indigenous to the limestone outcroppings of northern Texas and southwestern Oklahoma, this exceptional seed strain was collected near Fort Worth, Texas by Lauren Springer and Scott Ogden, and subsequently introduced by Colorado’s Plant Select program. A small growing warm season grass, Muhlenbergia reverchonii’s fine-hewn green blades craft a long-lived dense tussock beneath the spectacular late season aura of reddish mauve inflorescences that appear earlier and are less pink than Muhlenbergia capillaris. The namesake pretty much sums it up—a compact tailored habit performing heroically in cold, drought, heavy clay, sweltering heat and southern humidity. Easy care, warm tawny-brown winter interest and an exceptional en masse presence make it indispensable.

Current Staff's Favorite Plant

Colorful Crocosmias, Be Awed by your August garden, Saturday Strolls!

Colorful Crocosmias!

Crocosmias pack a punch of late summer color as our gardens transition into autumn. Their clustered tubular flowers populate the ends of gracefully arching spikes, which emerge from handsome sword-like foliage. Ranging from yellow, peach and orange to fiery red, their prismatic shades look exceptional with white flowering perennials such as Phlox ‘David’, Selinum wallichianum and Aster ‘Bridal Veil’, as well as the blue blossoms of Aconitum, Agapanthus ‘Storm Cloud’ or Aster ‘Twilight’. For fun you could create a hot border, blending them with Kniphofia, Helenium, Salvia and even other Crocosmia, plus be sure to include some in your next bouquet. Commonly referred to as Montbretia and hardy to Zone 6, they appreciate, good drainage, adequate water and some shade in scorching summer sun. Please feel free to check out our extensive collection of Crocosmia cultivars in the perennial section of our online catalog.

YES, it’s possible to be in awe of your late August garden….

At this point in the season, some areas in our gardens may appear a tad worn or lackluster. If you haven’t already done so, you may wish to cut back a few tired looking perennials, such as the Nepetas or Geraniums, so you can enjoy a fresh flourish of growth plus more blooms. Adequate moisture and an additional application of compost will also ensure late summer vigor. Incorporating plants that provide a bounty of flowers and alluring leaves in August and September helps buoy our spirits, and hopefully even inspire a little awe as we approach fall. Though the plants featured in this newsletter either promote a bold statement or possess more refined aspects, they equally caught my eye and made me pause to take a closer look. Perhaps they’ll spark a wondrous moment for you as well. All of us Digging Dog plant wranglers wish you Happy Digging!